Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon, Executive
Director, Front Porch Coalition
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Alan Solano, Behavior
Management Systems
Alys Ratigan, Black Hills Mental
Health and Substance Abuse
Systems Change Coordinator
Beverly Cole, SD EMT
Cathy Larsen, Catholic Social
Services
Felicia Blind Man, Nurse
Dr. John Lassegard, Community
Health Center of the Black Hills
Jolie McCoy, South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology
Kaycee Tonderum, Youth
Kyle Hunter, Youth
Leah Braun, SD National Guard
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Lee Sasse, Ellsworth Air Force
Base Mental Health Clinic
LTC Bryan Jacobson, SD National
Guard
Michael Strang, SD National
Guard
Patrick Powers, Youth and Family
Services Counseling Center
Patti Martinson, Front Porch
Coalition Board President &
Black Hills Center for Equality
Board President
Renee and Nina Mesteth, Parent
and Youth
Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon,
Front Porch Coalition Director
Tamira McMeekin, Unified
Judicial System
Tim McGowan, Central High
School
Build a sustainable network of community
stakeholders that work to improve mental
health and wellness systems that support
suicide prevention activities through health
promotion and risk reduction while making
available services for face-to-face
counseling.
Reduce Risk Factors; Increase Protective
Factors; Create Support Systems,
Relationships, Connection to Other
People
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Three Things Most Important:
Improve Screening – Early Detection of
Suicide Risk Factors – Are We Catching Those
At-risk Early Enough
Early Intervention – Have Crisis Options
Available – Are Parents Getting Kids to Mental
Health Services – If not, then Why
Follow-up – How Do We Keep Them In
Services
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Assessed the community’s capacity for
mental health services and suicide prevention
trainings
Conducted 13 suicide intervention trainings–
254 Adults, Mental Health Professionals, First
Responders, etc.
Conducted 2 school-based trainings in 2
Rapid City High Schools – 87 Teens
Worked to assess and build upon the
community’s mental health referral network.
Suicide in Pennington County
2000 - 2010
Number of deaths due to suicide:
Number of deaths due to suicide
28
21
17
14
13
15
24
23
23
13
8
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and Front
Porch Coalition L.O.S.S. Team Program, 2010
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40 suicide intervention trainings -779 Adults, Mental
Health Professionals, First Responders, etc.
3 youth oriented community and/or school-based
trainings - 71 Teens
3 T4T trainings – train-the-trainer trainings for
school-based suicide prevention programs and
gatekeeper and suicide intervention trainings
Contacted 11 Medical Clinics with 1 implementing the
Primary Care Toolkit for Suicide Prevention –
Community Health Center of the Black Hills
Suicide hotline materials to 60 bars, casinos and
liquor stores; 90 churches and provided packets of
suicide prevention materials to 55 churches
Continued to build the mental health referral network
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Alys Ratigan, ASIST, QPR
Burke Eilers, Youth and Family Services
Counseling Center – QPR
Patrick Powers, Youth and Family Services
Counseling Center – ASIST
Peggy Schlechter, NAU – QPR
Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon, Front Porch
Coalition – Sudden and Traumatic LOSS, ASIST,
QPR, QPR Suicide Triage Training
Tim McGowan, Central High School – Sources of
Strength Peer Mentoring
Vicki Buehler, Front Porch Coalition - ASIST
Suicide in Pennington County
2000 - 2011
Number of deaths due to suicide:
Finally a Decrease by 36%
Number of deaths due to suicide
17
8
21
14
13
15
24
23
13
23
28
18
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Source: Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and Front
Porch Coalition L.O.S.S. Team Program, 2011
Suicides Decreased as
Prevention Efforts Increased
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6 suicide intervention trainings – 256 Adults, Mental
Health Professionals, First Responders, etc.
6 youth oriented school-based trainings – 615 Teens
Implemented School Curriculum – Wall High School
Planning Implementation of School Curriculum –
Douglas High School
Implemented 2 Primary Care Toolkits for Suicide
Prevention – RCRH ED & RCRH Family Medicine
Residency Clinic
Complete community assessment tool that can be
used as a yearly evaluation tool
Prepare for sustainability and collaboration
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Reach primary care providers with education,
training, and awareness focusing on
incorporating more mental health and suicide
screenings into medical practices.
Focus on yearly public awareness events.
Use the community assessment tool to create
and update yearly action plans.
Work with mental health providers to improve the
referral network.
Obstacle & Goal: Sustain training programs in the
schools and the general public. General public
trainings – may have to charge attendees.
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Front Porch Coalition & LOSS Team to unify
with Northern Hills Suicide Prevention
Taskforce – expand service area
Black Hills Mental Health Substance Abuse
Systems Change Collaborative
“Mental Health Awareness & Suicide
Prevention Day” Annual Awareness Event –
FPC, BMS, CSS, LSS, Wellspring, YFS
Continue Law Enforcement/First
Responders Partnerships
Build and Sustain Trainer Network
Front Porch Coalition
Stephanie Schweitzer Dixon
Community Services Director
915 Mountain View Road
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605) 348-6692
www.frontporchcoalition.org
frontporch@frontporchcoalition.org